LAS VEGAS – There wasn’t much that K.J. Noons could do that Donald Cerrone didn’t have an answer for on Saturday night. For three rounds, Cerrone answered Noons’ punches, thumping kicks and neutralizing takedowns, battering and bloodying Noons en route to a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).

The lightweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC 160 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

A cut near his right eye bothered Noons early, and things only got tougher as his vision got worse. After the second round Noons complained of blood in his eye and was asked repeatedly by a commission official whether he wanted to continue.

“Of course,” Noons replied.

But even as Noons fought on through the blood, Cerrone was content to keep adding to it. When Noons charged in, Cerrone answered with counters and kicks. When Noons threatened to get his own boxing game going, Cerrone stopped him cold with takedowns and elbows from half-guard. By the time it was over, Noons was covered in blood and Cerrone was smiling through his bruises.

“My grandma called me today and said, ‘Cowboy, there’s a bunch of guys that are watching you tonight, wishing they were you. Do you want to be you?'” Cerrone said. “I said, ‘Yeah, Grandma, I do.'”

Cerrone (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) who is ranked No. 11 in the USA Today Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA lightweight rankings, bounces back from a TKO loss to Anthony Pettis in January with the win. Noons (11-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has now lost three straight, with his last win coming in Strikeforce in December of 2011.